Nivea apologizes for 'White is purity' ad

Skin-care company Nivea has apologized and pulled an ad after critics complained that it was racist.

The ad appeared on Nivea's Middle East Facebook page. It featured the image of the back of a woman, clothed in white, along with the slogan, "White is purity." The Facebook post caption said: "Keep it clean, keep bright. Don't let anything ruin it."

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Come on #Nivea. This is so racist that I do not even know where to begin.😠 Speechless. In future, refer to clothes or products, not colors. pic.twitter.com/m0KTSALFKo
— Scott Bellows (@ScottProfessor) April 4, 2017

Consumers expressed their outrage on social media, calling the ad racist and saying that it promoted the notion of white supremacy.

Nivea responded by pulling the ad and issuing an apology.

@maej43 @wickdchiq @niveauk The NIVEA Middle East post was not meant to be offensive. We apologize. It’s been removed. NIVEA values diversity and tolerance.
— NIVEA USA (@NIVEAUSA) April 4, 2017

According to CNN, it is not the first time that the company has been responsible for controversial ad campaigns. Nivea sparked criticism for its "Re-civilize yourself" ad that ran in Esquire magazine in 2011.